~ Informing, Educating and Influencing

An interesting and insightful read which examines a fallacious technique of propaganda known as the straw man. Psychologically, the straw man concept breaks things down to a simplistic level in which context is lost and decisions are relegated to “yes/no” choices, or extremes, which are more difficult to defend. This technique can be refuted by clarifying one’s original position.

Once upon a time when I was a teenager and didn’t know any better, I got into a discussion (i.e. argument) with a relative on a topic that he had strong beliefs about. That topic was the hazards posed by certain chemicals used in growing and processing food — a hazard which, he was convinced, was nonexistent, but was merely a fraud concocted by devious scientists, or the government, or some other “them” who couldn’t be trusted. At one point, he said to me, ” if it wasn’t for chemicals, you couldn’t live.” Although I wasn’t even familiar with the term at the time, this was my first real awareness of the straw man tactic, which is the sixth in our series of propaganda techniques.

A straw man is an oversimplified substitute for an actual issue or another person’s actual position on an issue. Although the term’s origins are unclear…

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About Ken S. Heller

Ken has worked in communications for more than 27 years – 21 of those in Army Public Affairs (involving print and broadcast journalism, internal information, media relations, crisis communications and community relations) for which he was awarded the Bonze Star for service in Iraq and the Legion of Merit upon retirement. Since leaving the Army, Ken has worked as a management consultant specializing in strategic planning, strategic communication, stakeholder relationship management, and business process reengineering. Ken’s education includes various advanced military studies, a BA in Humanities, and an MS in Psychology, specializing in media psychology .
You can contact Ken at ken@mediapsychology101.com.

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